This invention relates to shoes constructed of a dyed fabric upper and, more particularly, to the prevention of color migration from the dyed fabric to elastomeric trimming bonded thereto.
The manufacture of footwear constructed of a fabric upper, such as athletic shoes and the like, generally involves the bonding of various elastomeric trimming to a portion of the fabric. For example, the foxing and the toe cap of the shoe are typically formed of rubber or other elastomeric material which is bonded by adhesive or injection molding techniques to the fabric surface generally simultaneously with the attachment of the outsole to the lasted shoe upper. It is often aesthetically desirable to have the fabric upper dyed a relatively dark color and to employ white or other relatively light colored elastomeric trimming. However, the satisfactory use of this type of color combination has heretofore not been possible with certain synthetic fabrics whose exceptional durability makes them particularly suitable for use as shoe uppers but which do not possess a high degree of colorfastness. A fabric of this nature in present commercial use as a shoe upper material, for example, consists of a triblend of 60% polyester, 20% nylon and 20% cotton. Since dyed fabrics, of this type do not possess a high degree of color-fastness, light clored elastomeric trimming bonded to shoe uppers composed of such dyed fabrics tend to become discolored due to migration of the dye from the fabric. Moreover, previous attempts to treat the fabric in a effort to prevent the color migration have not proved to be satisfactory due to their adverse effects upon the subsequent adhesion of the elastomeric trimming to the fabric.